Jackie Robinson (On My Own Biography) 9780876149041, 0876149042, 0876145993, 9780876145999, 9780876140420

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JACKIE ROBINSON by Sally M. Walker illustrations by Rodney S. Pate

t Carolrhoda Books, Inc./Minneapolis

Photograph on p. 47 © Bettmann/CORBIS. Quotations reprinted from: pp. 24, 29, Carl Rowan and Jackie Robinson, Wait Till Next Year (New York: Random House, 1960), p. 149; p. 41, Jackie Robinson, I Never Had It Made (New York: G. P. Putnam and Sons, 1972), p. 73. Text copyright © 2002 by Sally M. Walker Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Rodney S. Pate All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Carolrhoda Books, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. This book is available in two editions: Library binding by Carolrhoda Books, Inc., a division of Lerner Publishing Group Soft cover by First Avenue Editions, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. Website address: www.lernerbooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Walker, Sally M. Jackie Robinson / by Sally M. Walker ; illustrations by Rodney S. Pate. p. cm. — (On my own biography) Summary: Describes the life and accomplishments of baseball star Jackie Robinson, who became the f irst African American in twentieth-century major-league baseball. eISBN: 0–87614–042–8 1. Robinson, Jackie, 1919–1972—Juvenile literature. 2. Baseball players—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 3. African American baseball players— Biography—Juvenile literature. [1. Robinson, Jackie, 1919–1972. 2. Baseball players. 3. African Americans—Biography.] I. Pate, Rodney S., ill. II. Title. III. Series. GV865.R6 W35 2002 796.357'092—dc21 2001006584 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 – JR – 07 06 05 04 03 02

For Allen “Pea-head” Walker, the family’s third baseman. And in memory of William “Grandpa” Inge, who once served as Ty Cobb’s batboy — S. M. W. To my nephew Andrew—may you grow to be as strong as Jackie. Also to J. F. and B. G. — R. S. P.

Pepper Street Pasadena, California, 1927 THUNK! A rock hit the ground at eight-year-old Jackie Robinson’s feet. He picked it up and threw it right back. The white man across the street was angry.

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Jackie was angry, too. The man’s daughter had called Jackie a terrible name. Jackie was sick and tired of being picked on because he was black. So he had yelled at the girl. That’s when the rock throwing started.

It wasn’t easy being the only black family on the block. Many white people on Pepper Street did not want the Robinsons around. Some even called the police when Jackie and his brothers played outside. At least the kids on Pepper Street liked to play sports. Jackie f it right in when a game began. He played soccer, football, handball, baseball, and dodgeball. He played every game well—very well. Jackie loved to win, and he almost always did.

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Jackie’s mother, Mallie, worked hard to make a good home for her children. She told them to be proud of their race. The neighbors would accept them with time. Meanwhile, her family would set a good example. The Robinsons didn’t have much money. But whenever Mallie had extra food, she shared it with her neighbors. She even shared with the man who had thrown rocks at Jackie. She told Jackie and his brothers to help their neighbors do chores—for free. It took several years, but Mallie was right. The neighbors became friendlier. Jackie realized that skin color mattered less when people got to know each other.

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As Jackie grew up, he got even better at sports. At Pasadena Junior College, he was the best scorer in basketball. In track, he smashed his brother Mack’s record in the broad jump. In baseball games, he stole bases in the blink of an eye.

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He starred in every sport he played. Most of Jackie’s teammates were white. A few did not like playing with a black athlete. Jackie treated them with respect anyway. Over time, his teammates saw that he played fairly and well. Most of them came to respect him, too.

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Teams from other towns were different. Sometimes white players said nasty things about black people to Jackie. Their insults made Jackie angry. Usually he just played harder. But sometimes he got into f ights. Even in Pasadena, the rules weren’t fair off the playing f ield. Black people could swim in the town’s pool only on Tuesdays. Some restaurants would not serve black customers. Jackie hated this kind of unfairness. Sometimes his anger got him into trouble. One time, he argued with a white policeman. Jackie had to spend the night in jail. Some people started saying that Jackie Robinson was a troublemaker.

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Then a man named Karl Downs came into Jackie’s life. He was the new minister of Mallie’s church. Reverend Downs listened when Jackie talked about his problems. He helped Jackie set goals.

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Jackie joined church clubs, too. Mallie had always found strength in her belief in God. Soon Jackie did as well. His faith helped him think twice before he lost his temper.

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From Pasadena, Jackie went on to the University of California in Los Angeles. There he fell in love with Rachel Isum. She was friendly and smart. Jackie liked how she said what she thought, even when she disagreed with him. They began to see each other often. Jackie had to join the army during World War II. He served from 1942 to 1944. When he left the army, he wasn’t sure what the future would bring. He was sure of two things, though. He wanted to f ind a job in sports. And he wanted to marry Rachel. Maybe he could f ind a way to do both.

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Baseball Star Kansas City, 1945 Jackie watched the pitcher wind up. A curve ball zoomed toward home plate. It might have fooled some hitters, but not Jackie Robinson. C-R-A-C-K! The ball soared into the outf ield. A base hit!

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At age 26, Jackie had found a job playing a sport he loved. He had joined the Kansas City Monarchs, a team in the Negro American League. Black athletes had not been allowed to play major-league baseball since 1884. They could only play in the Negro leagues. The Monarchs had many outstanding players. Jackie learned all he could from them.

The Negro leagues were far from perfect. Road trips were tough. White hotel owners would not rent rooms to the Monarchs. They had to sleep in the bus. And white gas station owners didn’t let the team use their restrooms. Jackie’s old anger came back. Sometimes he thought about quitting.

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Then Jackie got a surprise. In August of 1945, Branch Rickey invited Jackie to meet him. Rickey was the president of New York’s famous Brooklyn Dodgers. Like all major-league teams, the Dodgers were all white. Why would Rickey want to see Jackie? The two men met secretly in New York City. Rickey made a stunning offer. He wanted Jackie to play for the Montreal Royals in Canada. The Royals were the Dodgers’ training team. If Jackie played well enough, he would move up to the Dodgers. Jackie could not speak. Was it possible that he might get to play major-league baseball?

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Branch Rickey had more to say. All black athletes would be judged by what Jackie did and said. His success would depend on how well he could control his temper. Some people would be cruel. They would try to get Jackie to yell or f ight. Rickey needed “a ball player with guts enough not to f ight back.” He tested Jackie to show what he meant. Rickey pretended to be a white player who hated black people. He shouted insults about Jackie’s race and his family. Those things were hard to listen to. But Jackie kept his mouth shut. Then he promised to do as Rickey asked.

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No matter what others did, Jackie would not shout or start a f ight. The two men shook hands. Jackie Robinson was going to Montreal.

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Jackie would not have to start his new life alone. In February of 1946, he married Rachel. Soon he had his f irst test at holding his temper. On the way to Florida for spring training, he and Rachel lost their places on their f light. White people wanted their seats.

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Then the Robinsons could not f ind a hotel for blacks. To complete their trip, they were forced to sit at the back of a bus. Jackie was furious, but he remembered his promise. He hid his anger as well as he could. He knew that this trip was just the beginning.

Royal Talent Jersey City, New Jersey, April 18, 1946 Opening day! Jackie’s heart pounded. His stomach felt like it was “full of feverish f iref lies with claws on their feet.” The crowd in Roosevelt Stadium was excited, too. They wanted to see what the black player at second base could do. Jackie showed them. His second time at bat, he slammed the ball into the left-f ield stands. A three-run homer! By the end of the game, Jackie had four hits and four runs. The Royals beat Jersey City, 14 to 1.

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Jackie’s sharp game made him a favorite of the Montreal fans. In Canada, most people didn’t care what color his skin was. They just loved the way he played. But games in the United States weren’t so easy.

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Thousands of black fans cheered for Jackie. Many white fans did, too. But others screamed crude insults. Players from other teams taunted him. Pitchers sometimes even threw the ball at him on purpose. Jackie had to take it all in silence.

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That f irst season was not easy. But by the end, Jackie had made his mark. He drove in 66 runs and scored 113. He stole 40 bases. He was the league’s best batter that year. The Royals won the 1946 Little World Series. And Jackie had not lost his temper once.

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Jackie was happy to have played so well. In November, he felt even happier. Rachel gave birth to a son. Jackie hoped that Jackie Junior would see him play in the major leagues.

The Major Leagues Brooklyn, New York, April 11, 1947 Jackie looked up at the crowd. He could hardly believe it. He was a real Brooklyn Dodger— number 42, playing f irst base. The Dodgers were up against the New York Yankees in a pre-season game. Jackie pounded his f ist into his glove and leaned forward. He would be ready if the ball came his way.

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Jackie didn’t get any hits in that game, but he drove in three runs. Winning the game was easy enough. Winning the support of some of his new teammates was not. A few made rude comments. Others kept open minds.

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Eddie Stanky and Pee Wee Reese were helpful. They gave Jackie tips on how to improve his skills at f irst base. Jackie worked hard at practice. He would do his best for his new team.

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The season opened on April 15. Jackie received letters full of hatred. Some people threatened to kill him or hurt his family if he kept playing. Jackie heard plenty of insults on the playing f ield, too. He tried to remember Mallie’s lesson back on Pepper Street. People needed time to get used to change. Jackie kept his promise to Branch Rickey. He didn’t f ight back. He didn’t even show how terrible he felt inside.

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On April 22, the Dodgers played the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies’ insults were the worst yet. Jackie thought he would explode. Then his teammate Eddie Stanky started yelling.

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“Listen, you yellow-bellied cowards,” he shouted at the Phillies. “Why don’t you yell at somebody who can answer back?” Jackie realized that he wasn’t alone. He clenched his teeth and hung on.

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Slowly, Jackie’s new teammates got to know him. Once he felt more at home, he caught f ire on the playing f ield. His bat blasted out base hits. He stole base after base, even home plate. The fans loved him for his daring.

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Jackie’s rookie season was a great one. He led the National League in stolen bases. He scored 125 runs. The Sporting News named him the 1947 Rookie of the Year. No one could ever again say that a black man was not good enough to play major-league baseball.

The next year, in August, Jackie f inally lost his temper. But it wasn’t about insults. The umpire threw one of the Dodgers out of a game. Jackie got mad. He stormed out of the dugout, shouting. The umpire threw him out, too.

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Jackie could tell that it wasn’t because he was black. Yelling at the umpire is against the rules. The umpire had simply treated Jackie like any other ball player. After all Jackie had been through, that felt just f ine. Even better, it felt fair.

Jackie knew that his hard times in baseball were not over. American sports still had a long way to go to become truly fair to all players. But thanks to Jackie and those who helped him, the days when race was more important than skills were gone for good.

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Afterword Jackie played for the Brooklyn Dodgers for 10 years, mostly at second base. Many other courageous athletes joined the struggle to make baseball open to players of all races. They included Larry Doby, Roy Campanella, and Satchel Paige. Jackie’s many honors as a Dodger included being named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1949. When he retired from baseball, he worked in business and became active in the civil rights movement. In 1962, he became the f irst African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jackie Robinson died in 1972 at the age of 53. It was not until 1975 that a black man, Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians, f inally became a major-league team manager. As in many areas of American life, people are still working toward equal treatment for all in sports.

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Important Dates 1919—Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born near Cairo, Georgia, on January 31. 1920—Family moved to Pasadena, California 1937—Began attending Pasadena Junior College 1939—Began attending University of California-Los Angeles 1942—Joined United States army; served until 1944 1945—Joined and played for Kansas City Monarchs; met Branch Rickey; joined Montreal Royals 1946—Married Rachel Isum; played for Montreal Royals; birth of son, Jackie Junior, f irst of three children 1947—Began playing for Brooklyn Dodgers as f irst black major-league player since 1884 1949—Named National League’s Most Valuable Player 1957—Retired from baseball 1962—Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame 1972—Dodgers retired his number, 42, meaning that no other Dodger could wear it. Robinson died on October 24 in Stamford, Connecticut. 1984—Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest award for nonmilitary achievement, by President Ronald Reagan 1997—Number 42 retired from use by all major-league baseball teams

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